Then the wait staff put a burger in front of me that was nestled between two bacon-tomato grilled-cheese sandwiches. The French toast they brought to my table was made with challah bread and stuffed with bananas, cream cheese, hazelnut syrup and brown sugar that gushed into a plate of blueberry strawberry compote once you took a fork to it. The fried chicken that came next had been brined for 24 hours, marinated for 24 hours and then deep fried and served with a full Belgian waffle, strawberry butter and a sweet syrup garnished with Louisiana Hot Sauce.

It all had a greasy spoon vibe to it with an extra dose of flavor and sophistication.

That combination had the Food Network’s Guy Fieri and Diners Drive-Ins and Dives at the chain’s Jacksonville doorstep in 2010.

And it brought in a strong lunch crowd on Wednesday when the new Sarasota restaurant switched on its open sign for the first time.

There’s more to those filled tables and that buzz than food.

I sat on Wednesday across from Christa Kremer, the marketing director for Westfield Siesta Key, during a 90-minute tasting that started with two fried grit cakes infused with cheese, roasted red peppers and Andouille sausage that were smothered with shrimp, onions, peppers and bacon. That was followed by the chicken and French toast, then by meatloaf and by salted caramel cheesecake.

Kremer was giddy over that cheesecake but even more so about what all this meant for the mall.

It’s been a long, difficult journey for the indoor shopping center formerly known as Westfield Southgate. The mall lost two anchors, a number of in-line tenants and substantial foot traffic when the Mall at University Town Center opened in 2014, and the kitchen firing up at Metro Diner marks another milestone on the center’s revitalization.

All that construction we’ve been watching from U.S. 41 since last summer is finally becoming a restaurant hub. The rollouts are slated to continue next month with Connors Steak and Seafood and a new coastal concept from Bravo Brio Restaurant Group. Lucky’s Market, Naples Flatbread and Wine Bar and L’Core spa are also expected to open this year.

It’s an exciting time for a shopping center that’s spent more than two years on retail life support.

I’ve had a lot of readers ask me if I think the eight new stores the mall is bringing on this year will be enough to restore the old Southgate to its former glory.

It’s still too early to really tell.

But there was a level of activity in that diner that I haven’t seen at that mall in the two years I’ve been writing this column.

I’m sure the heaping platefuls of food that average about $12 a meal had something to do with it.

I’m sure the mall itself did, too.

Consumers lost their reasons to go to the old Southgate when Saks Fifth Avenue, Dillard’s and a slew of other tenants packed their bags nearly three years ago, but they didn’t lose their curiosity about the site.

Kremer told me that this community has shown an interest in this mall in a way that she hasn’t seen at any other property or city that she’s worked in.

I’ve felt it, too.

Now will curiosity and challah bread stuffed with bananas, cream cheese and hazelnut syrup be enough to drive true foot traffic into that mall?

Absolutely not.

But it certainly caused a stir today.

We’ve got five more stirs like this scheduled this year. That just might be enough.

The Australia-based Westfield late last month rebranded its property at U.S. 41 and Siesta Drive as Westfield Siesta Key. New signs are up at the shopping center and the company is sporting the new name on its website and social media pages.

The long-anticipated name change comes on the cusp of the indoor mall’s transition into a lifestyle and entertainment center. Naples Flatbread and Wine Bar, Metro Diner, Connors Steak and Seafood and a new concept from Bravo-Brio Restaurant Group are all slated to open at the mall in the coming months. Metro Diner already has its facade up and has set up a hiring center inside the mall.

The upscale shopping mall also welcomed LA Fitness to the old Dillard’s anchor in April and a Lucky’s Market is also under construction in that space. CineBistro, a luxury movie and dining concept, has been operating in the former Saks Fifth Avenue space since early 2016.

Saks announced last year that it would close its 40,000-square-foot department store in Southgate Mall once the new Mall at University Town Center opens on Oct. 16. The department store’s last day in Southgate Mall is Wednesday, Oct. 8. The store will shutter for good at 6 p.m. Saks Fifth Avenue’s new space inside the $315 million Mall at University Town Center is double in size over two stories, and includes an in-house upscale restaurant concept, Sophie’s.

Last year, Saks Fifth Avenue also closed its only Tampa Bay department store in Westshore Plaza. The new store in Sarasota will be the only full-line department store serving the Tampa Bay area. The next closest Saks Fifth Avenue store is in Fort Myers.

It is unclear at this time if Macy’s or Dillard’s will close their department stores at Southgate Mall. Last month, Macy’s announced it is closing its store in Bradenton’s Desoto Square Mall.

The vacant Saks space could be retrofitted to be an upscale dine-in movie theater, local retail sources say. Westfield Group was reportedly courting Cobb Theaters, which operates Cobb Cinebistro movie theaters in Tampa and across the country, as apart of its Southgate Mall renovation. The luxury cinema offers reserved seating in smaller auditoriums, wait service and upscale menus.

To see a full list of retailers and restaurants coming to the Mall at University Town Center, click here.

The Herald-Tribune reported reported stores like Apple, Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel and others will open in the Mall at University Town Center last year. The 880,000-square-foot retail center will open October 16.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.

Westfield Group’s Southgate Mall has begun renovations that will transform the indoor mall into an outdoor shopping and nightlife destination.

The Australian-based mall developer announced the mall’s plans for redevelopment in May at the International Council of Shopping Centers Recon Convention in Las Vegas. The mall will add 46,000 square feet of new space to the existing property. Construction was supposed to begin by the end of the year, though plans have been pushed back.

Westfield’s plans for Southgate Mall comes after an announcement by its premiere anchor Saks Fifth Avenue — and possibly others — to leave the Sarasota mall in favor of a new, $315 million enclosed retail hub being developed at Interstate 75 and University Parkway by a joint venture between Taubman Centers Inc. and Manatee County’s Benderson Development Co.

Last year, a New York-based real estate firm O’Connor Capital Partners bought 49.9 percent interest in six of Westfield’s Florida malls in March, a deal that included both Sarasota properties.

The first phase of the multimillion dollar investment at Southgate Mall includes the installation of new travertine tile, upgraded furnishings, fixtures, outdoor landscaping and color scheme, according to a statement by Westfield Group.

This initial phase will also feature refurbished shopper amenities, a new interior trellis system, fountains and new lighting.

“It’s Westfield’s philospohy to continually invest and reinvest in our properties,” said Sam Davidson, district marketing director of Florida for Westfield. “The plan for Westfield Southgate is the perfect model of that commitment. We’re taking a very strong shopping center and adding new elements and energy to enhance its appeal for gulf coast residents, the many domestic and international vistiors as well as for our retail partners that cater to these shoppers.”

The mall’s name will also change, from Southgate Mall to Westfield Siesta Key. Westfield officials claim that “retailer interest in the project remains very high.” The next phases of renovation will include bringing in new chain stores and rebranding the shopping center. Those additions will be announced next year.

Renderings courtesy of Westfield.

For more shopping news in Southwest Florida, follow reporter Justine Griffin on Twitter and Facebook or email her at justine.griffin@heraldtribune.com. Read What’s In Store in print on Tuesdays.